Is Amazon preparing OpenTube to compete with YouTube?

Amazon.com registered domain names related to OpenTube and Alexa Tube today. A screenshot of the Whois info for AmazonOpenTube.com is below.

Amazon.com has been fighting with Google in recent months over the inclusion of YouTube on Amazon’s Echo Show devices. Amazon.com might be gearing up to take the fight to another level.

The Echo Show is an Alexa-powered device that includes a screen. They’re great for watching YouTube videos, rather, they were great for watching YouTube videos. Google forced Amazon to pull the plug yesterday as covered in this article.

Coinciding with the latest news of YouTube being pulled from the Echo yesterday, Amazon registered three domain names:

AlexaOpenTube.com
AmazonAlexaTube.com
AmazonOpenTube.com

Is Amazon preparing to create its own free and open competitor to YouTube? Or is it starting an OpenTube initiative to get Google to open up? Either way, content marketers need to pay attention.